Cathy,
Thank you for your insight on this machine. I'm going to see it tomorrow and see if I would like to purchase it. I've found out that it was a 1930's wedding present for the mother of the person selling it and that the person selling it learned to sew on it in 1965. It sounds as if it has been in this family all it's life.
Singer has an exhaustive bit of information on their machines online. How would I be able to determine some of the things you were commenting on in your post? I'm new to the Minnesota machines.